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Can Europe, US & South America learn from South Africa’s Ministry of Health response to first and second Covid-19 waves?

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While leaders in the United States and Brazil rejected scientific and medical advice, and chose to embrace conspiracy theories, South Africa’s Ministry of Health immediately adopted a science and fact-based approach to fighting Covid-19. The Ministry fought the virus, not the science.

Since the first coronavirus case was reported in South Africa on 5 March 2020, the planning and strategies of the Ministry of Health was centred on curtailing the spread of Covid-19 infections and protecting the country’s health system. This was achieved through an integrated approach with the South African government.

Hitting the ground running: the first wave
One of the first things that Minister of Health, Dr Zwelini Mkhize, did was to appoint a Covid-19 Ministerial Advisory Committee (MAC) to provide him with high-level strategic advice. The MAC on COVID-19 consists of four committees: Pathology and Laboratory, Clinical, Public Health, Research.

Each of these committees reviewed local and international research and experiences, and advised Minister Mkhize on the management, delivery, and co-ordination of services related to the Covid-19 response.

Allied to the MACs was the formation of the National Command Council (NCC) – which comprises a number of scientists, medical professionals, and government officials – all leaders in their respective fields. The NCC guided government’s response to the pandemic – including its decision to implement a Level 5 lockdown of the country between March and April 2020. The sometimes stringent – but disciplined – approach to managing the pandemic saw infection rates dip drastically in the first wave.

The results of this holistic team were the quick establishment of field hospitals around the country to cope with a predicted surge of Covid-19 patients during the first wave of infections. This eased the burden on saturated permanent hospitals and facilities. The MAC understood that in the South African context, the management of quarantining was paramount. For individuals who were unable to self-isolate or quarantine themselves at home in the first wave, the government provided 438 quarantine facilities across the country.

This significantly reduced the spread of the virus within communities. Community health workers and local clinics that service rural and township settlements were equipped with personal protective equipment (PPE), testing facilities and necessary education to effectively safeguard their communities during the first wave of this pandemic.

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The National Control Council’s integration, engagement and co-ordination with the MAC resulted in the creation of these life-saving infrastructures.

Tackling the second wave
During the country’s summer holidays (December 2020 – January 2021), South Africa entered the second wave of infection. The Health Department’s pro-active approach continued. Nelson Mandela Bay in the Eastern Cape province had already been declared a hotspot, and resources were mobilised for that city. Minister Mkhize had already been to coastal areas where infection rates were rapidly rising to assess what resources needed to be sent there.

He continued to mobilise resources to these challenged areas as much as possible. President Ramaphosa addressed the nation, warning of possible lockdowns and restrictions if the public did not remain vigilant about mask-wearing, social distancing and sanitizing.
While other world leaders were already touting instant miracle cures and vaccines at that time, the Health Department adopted a sensible approach by emphasising non-pharmaceutical interventions like mask-wearing whilst it explored the formidable challenge of securing appropriate vaccines for more than 50 million citizens.

Clear, consistent, effective, diverse messaging

Throughout the pandemic, representatives of the Ministry, led by Minister Mkhize, were hands-on, visible and vocal in their messaging and communications around Covid-19. Daily statements from the Ministry outlining rates of infections, testing, deaths (and later vaccinations) were provided to media via email, WhatsApp and other channels.

A dedicated coronavirus website was established. The site was free to access – even without an internet connection. The portal contained information on symptoms, treatments and contacting health authorities, as well as a host of resources for media.
The Ministry communicated a clear and unequivocal message of hand-washing, mask-wearing and social distancing that was run on diverse communication platforms in all of South Africa’s main languages. This approach ensured that even the least socio-economically empowered could take the necessary measures to curb Covid-19’s spread. All of the co-ordinated messaging and planning – including the countrywide lockdown – hinged on one specific principle: containment.

The Ministry also communicated these messages via music to reach the country’s youth. An example of this innovative approach is the production and dissemination of a music video by the Ndlovu Youth Choir.
The science behind the Covid-19 fight was simplified for media and the public at large. As an example, head of the Covid-19 MAC, Prof Saleem Abdul Kareem, often presented and explained the virus’s trajectory in an easy-to-understand manner. He also made himself available to various media for interviews.

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The head of the Vaccine MAC, Prof Barry Schoub, later adopted this approach, when the country’s vaccine rollout began.
The Ministry also celebrated and honoured the role of health-care workers serving on the frontlines of the pandemic. This served as an encouragement to them and increased morale.

The vaccine rollout
Although South Africa participates in the COVAX Facility which should have allowed the country to gain rapid access to vaccines, the supply of vaccines was initially limited and available only to those at high risk of exposure, such as the medically vulnerable and frontline health care workers.

Head of the Vaccine MAC, Prof Barry Schoub, outlined consistently to government, media and the public that the vaccine rollout would be a gradual process due to developed countries scooping up billions of doses in advance before the vaccine trials were even completed.

The Health Ministry received its first batch of vaccines (Astra-Zeneca) at the end of January 2021. The unparalleled speed at which vaccines were tested, manufactured and distributed to combat an ever-changing virus presented unprecedented challenges to the Ministry.

The Ministry was forced modify its rollout of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, after research suggested it offered diminished protection against the 501Y.V2 variant prevalent in South Africa. Prof Schoub and others in the Ministry were clear in explaining this crucial decision to the country, and the no-win situation that the Ministry found itself in:
AstraZeneca’s vaccine research began at the end of the South Africa’s first wave of infections last year and continued through to the second wave, which was largely fuelled by the 501Y.V2. variant

It was only in early January 2021 when researchers began to focus on the effect of vaccines against the 501Y.V2 variant.
The results of their studies only became available on Friday, 5 February, and were publicly and transparently released two days later at a media briefing hosted by Minister of Health, Zwelini Mkhize.

This research established that the AstraZeneca vaccine was largely ineffective on the 501Y.V2 variant.
By this time, a million doses of the vaccine – designed to fight the original virus and developed before the new variant was discovered – had already been delivered to South Africa.

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The decision to purchase the AstraZeneca vaccine was based on data that showed 76% efficacy after just one dose. For the Ministry, it was a low-risk, short-term, relatively small investment that it had to make to secure the safety of South African healthcare workers and frontline defenders.

The Ministry then began vaccinating health-workers with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine through the Sisonke Programme. Within the space of a week, the Ministry of Health, together with other stake-holders involved in this initiative:
set up 18 vaccination sites from scratch; developed and implemented complex logistics (including cold chain management, distribution of vaccines, and vial filling); trained additional vaccinators; set up an online electronic registration system;
ensured the safe and timely vaccination of tens of thousands of healthcare workers.

The Ministry has now begun the vaccine rollout to the wider population and has begun with people aged 60 and above.

Messaging on the vaccines
The Ministry, together with health-care professionals in the country, embarked on an intensive media campaign – that ran on traditional and social media – focusing on several aspects of the vaccine rollout in South Africa. These addressed the following:
The safety of the Sisonke J&J vaccination implementation study for healthcare workers
The fate of the Astra-Zeneca vaccines.

Dispelling conspiracy theories circulating on social media (the role of 5G towers and the use of Ivermectin in treating Covid-19)
Dispelling conspiracy theories originating from political and religious leaders (vaccines not developed in Africa should be rejected).

Encouraging over 60s to register on the Ministry’s vaccine registration site
From the day that the first case was reported in South Africa until vaccines were rolled out, South Africa’s Ministry of Health has ensured that, unlike countries like the United States and Brazil, the South African health authorities have allowed science – not fake news and misinformation – to guide its Covid-19 response.

South Africa will be firmly on its way to navigate the 3rd wave if they stick to the success formular rolled out by The South African Ministry of Health in 1st and Second wave.

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Opinion

Desperate Aiyedatiwa bares fangs inside Govt House chapel

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  • Appoints Self General Overseer
    Installs Indian Marabouts As Clergymen
    Stops Pastors from Wearing Cassocks

Nebuchadnezzar, infamous figure immortalized in the Bible, commands recognition as the Babylonian monarch whose relentless conquests laid waste to the temple of Jerusalem, seizing its sacred relics as spoils of war.

Nebuchadnezzar dreams of a great tree that shelters the whole world. But an angelic “watcher” appears and decrees that the tree must be cut down and that for seven years, he will have his human mind taken away and will eat grass like an ox.

 

The holy Bible generously describes and expounds a Chapel or Temple as the hallowed sanctuary of the Almighty. It is reserved for the reverential observance of sacred rites and solemn covenants deemed too divine for mundane settings. In all Chapels or Temples all over the world, these consecrated edifices are sanctuaries apart, shielded from the profane clamor of the secular world.

 

But an archetype of Nebuchadnezzar may have surreptitiously crept into Ondo without anyone noticing. While asking questions on what motivated the biblical Nebuchadnezzar to desecrate the holy Chapel or Temple of God, we are compelled to confront the actions of His Excellency (Hon.) Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa vis-à-vis the recent happenings inside the Government House Chapel.

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In a bold and audacious move that is only comparable to that of Nebuchadnezzar, Governor Aiyedatiwa decreed that ordained priests, including Rev. Babalola of the Anglican Communion and Canon Enoch Adeleke of the Methodist Church, discard their traditional vestments, known as Casoc, in favor of resplendent native attire—Agbada & Sokoto—during sacred ceremonies.

 

This sweeping directive challenges the entrenched doctrines upheld by Orthodox Churches, igniting a maelstrom of doubt and apprehension. Many ponder whether this decree signals a bid to sideline and subjugate Christians within the precincts of the Ondo State Government House, potentially paving the way for the infiltration of unfamiliar beliefs.

 

It is important to note that the Government House Chapel predates Governor Aiyedatiwa’s tenure. It is equally worthy of note to state that none of his predecessor, be it an Executive Governor or Military Administrator, had dared to enact such a seismic shift from the norm.

 

The questions presently agitating the minds of Christians within and outside Ondo state is if the Governor would have dared to wield such authority within a Mosque?

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In response to this seismic upheaval, Christians across Ondo State and beyond are implored to maintain vigilance. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) must rise up against what is perceived as a grievous affront to the tenets of Christianity.

 

Adding to the intrigue, Aiyedatiwa proclaimed one fateful morning that he had been anointed by God to assume the mantle of General Overseer (GO) of the chapel. His subsequent participation in conducting last week’s Sunday service casts doubt upon his jurisdiction in matters of faith, casting a pall of uncertainty over Orthodox Churches.

 

But beyond this, the governor is said to have imported some strange-looking Marabouts to form part of the. An inside source disclosed that the men were indeed imported from India as part of a larger team of prayer warriors ahead of the governorship primary election of the All Progressives Congress.

 

An elder in the chapel, who pleaded not to be named, said the governor has become paranoid about how church matters are are run in the chapel.

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“It is surprising what is driving the governor recently. He is carrying out changes that are aliens to the order of service in the chapel. Recently, some strange people were brought into the chapel. Some people said they were part of of his prayer warriors. It was later that we gathered that they were from India. We have never seen anything like this before,” the elder said.

 

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Opinion

Ondo 2024: Aiyedatiwa gets desperate, dangles Port Ondo contract before prominent Yoruba monarch for presidency support

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  • Promise of 25% equity stake
    Desperate to meet Tinubu and Southwest governors for support.
    Top Ondo Obas frowns at the idea

Ondo State governor, Lucky Ayedatiwa has become hyper desperate ahead of the the governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress ( APC) in April.

Inside sources have revealed that the governor, as part of his desperate search for the party’s ticket, has made the contract for the construction of Port Ondo as a bargaining chip to the Oni of Ife, his Imperial Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, to help secure the support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR and the South West Governors.

 

The deal, according to impeccable sources, was brokered by the two prominent Yoruba politicians (names withheld) who had stood with Ayedatiwa in his recent political battle against his former boss and benefactor, late Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, CON.

 

Reports have it that, Aiyedatiwa became desperate after several failed attempts to get the President’s attention over his ambition. He reportedly ran to a former governor of Ondo State, who according to information, has become his godfather and Chief Strategist.

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The former governor was said to have secured the assistance of an Osun State-born former Secretary of the APC. At the meeting, which was held at the private quarters of the Oni of Ife, he was asked to provide an opportunity for Aiyedatiwa to meet President Tinubu and the governors of the South West.

 

Among the issues discussed at the meeting was how to overlook Aiyedatiwa’s alleged ‘sins’ to Akeredolu, during and after his death.

 

However, as at the time of filing this report, some prominent monarchs in Ondo State are said to have gotten wind of the plan and are said to be spoiling for a fight.

 

A source, who did not want to be metioned, said the action of the governor is already causing a lot of anger and bad blood among the monarchs in the Sunshine State.

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Opinion

OF OTA-FRIENDS AND ORE-NEMIES OF AKETI- END OF THE EMERGENCY BEARD OF LUCKY AYEDATIWA

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By Sola Ajisafe, Esq

” The worth of a man is not in the vastness of his estate or the fatness of his vault but in the totality of his character and serenity of his inner being” – Anonymous

 

Last week, I called out our Governor about the whereabouts of his wife, our First Lady and why the “Oza room” had been empty. Nothing of note came out from him or his aides that tends to answer the relevant question. This is a common practice in the media orgy coupled together currently around the Governor. They will “leave ete to be treating lapalapa”.

 

Just like the ridiculous Press Statement about the clownish violence perpetrated on his other contestants during the President’s visit or the anti- Aketi executive poorly put together by Lucky. Wetin be my own? Today, my attention is to ask Mr. Governor ” Where is your Aketi beard?

 

The disappearance of Lucky’s beards is a significant pointer to how fake, unreliable and fluid our Governor is as a person. The open celebration and association with Aketi arch enemies, betrayers and discredited individuals in his newly inaugurated Executive is a pointer to what to expect in that government. Aside from a few individuals, that teal lack character and content. Anyway, (10) months no be anybody’s friend. E no dey play o.

 

Mr. Governor, it was not news that on your return from your long Abuja trip with your “Abuja activists”, the first thing Ondo State people noticed was that you have changed your looks and the Aketi beard had disappeared. If there was anything to point to the fact that the romance between you and your boss had ended, it was that change of personality. When on the day you addressed a press conference asking for forgiveness it was clear that you were playing with our intelligence as a people.

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I know as of a fact that in Nigeria of today, everything is cruise, just like most politicians in Nigeria are petty traders. They lack originality, political ideology and are bereft of sound intellectual understanding of what it means to be politically straightforward and upright. They are duplicious in their actions and profoundly vague in their thoughts. They are not better than Aba/Onitsha or China ( Chinco) products usually referred to as ” baruf” (fake) during our secondary school days.

When the going was good

I said Nigerian politicians are cruise chasers. The current vogue of wearing Awo or Afenifere cap remains a valid example. At a point in time, every manner of persons adopted it as their passport to enter the progressive palour. As they come in many colours and shapes so are the baboon elements and their virtues. They only take to mind the shapes and the embossed scollopings. They do not come an inch close to what it represents. Many of them and the ” alright sir boys” around Alagbaka government house/office have the same mental attributes except that one give alms while the other takes. All na same.

 

Just like the Awo cap, some elements within the Akeredolu government picked up the tendency of wearing beards immediately Aketi came on board in 2017. Not long after some of them could not maintain the discipline and tenacity that came with having the Fidel Castro or Che Guevara beard. That was what Aketi carried as far back as his days in the University or shortly thereafter. Time and age enveloped it and turned it to a Father Christmas on him.

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Our Governor, Hon. Lucky Ayedatiwa was one of those that started the culture of wearing beards like Aketi. He was helped by time and age so he does not have to add anything to make it white. Yet, “abinibi” is quite different from “ability”. While Aketi’s beard was custom made, those of the copy cats were as fake as the products of “Yaba Apa Otun, Katangua or Oshodi under bridge”where tokunbo clothes and materials are sold.

With Aketi’s beards
The story here is not just about wearing a beard to look like your boss. I used to pity these imitators in those early days of the Aketi government. They do not carry those beards because it fits them or that they were comfortable. They carried it to show off their loyalty. I have seen people move from one politically exposed person and one party to another wearing the badge of their loyalty like an insignia of office only to take to flight immediately something happened. I have heard people tell me ” I will read Aketi like a book for eight (8) years, only to take to flight having realized that the man is nearing his end. They divulged his medical history to his ” ota-friends” and ” ore-nemies”.

 

For instance, who would believe that Hon. Lucky Ayedatiwa will so soon return almost clean shaven from his haitus in Abuja without the ” emergency beards” that he wore so much and faithfully when he was stalking Aketi and his family to get political relevance. Immediately he got what he wanted and he learnt from the snitches who report every action of Aketi to him he “dis-beard” himself from Aketi and became the Lucky of the emergency activists both in Abuja and in Ondo State.

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For me, loyalty is not something to be worn like a badge or rendered like a song. Loyalty does not mean you cannot quarrel or disagree on principle. It also does not mean you should be a slave. However, loyalty means “one for all, all for one”. When it’s comfortable or not comfortable.

 

Every leader and influential person must learn something from the life and times of Aketi. Human beings love what they can get from you. They do not care about you so soon you are no longer useful to them or you no longer posses the capacity to do things for them.

 

I call on everyone that still has a dint of humanity in them and felt a hunch for Aketi and decided to stay with him during his trying period and are been persecuted to know that a new dawn is in the offing. And for those who benefitted from Aketi but contributed towards his death by their actions and deeds or are determined to destroy his legacy or are willing to forget the good old days to note that Karma is a bitch and so unforgiven. Just take note of my words.

The disappearance of Lucky’s “Aketi beard” was too sudden. It showed there was no altruism in it in the first place.

 

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